Our People

Professor Paul Foster (PhD, DSc) is the Executive Director of the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research. He is a previous Director of the Hunter Medical Research Institute and the Priority Research Centre for Healthy Lungs, and held the Chair of Immunology at the University of Newcastle.

Paul’s primary research interest is in identifying the mechanisms behind chronic inflammatory lung diseases such as asthma and viral infections. His investigations range from understanding the role of environmental factors and infectious diseases in respiratory disorders to the development of new treatments. His research is internationally recognised, with more than 32,000 citations, and he was instrumental in the discoveries leading to the life-changing asthma medication mepolizumab.

In 2012, Paul was awarded the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand Research Medal and the NSW Science and Engineering Award for Biological Sciences in Human Health. From 2015 to 2019, he was elected Fellow of the American Thoracic Society, the European Respiratory Society, the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand, and the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.

Paul provides ongoing contributions to peer review, committees and boards of national and international research agencies such as NHMRC, ARC and Medical Research Council, UK. He was recently awarded the prestigious Toh Chin Chye Visiting Professorship at the National University of Singapore School of Medicine (2019 –2021), contributing to the growth of respiratory medicine in Southeast Asia.